DISHONEST. DEALING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 914, 6 September 1889, Page 27

DISHONEST. DEALING.

Qlir a previous article upon flax, in making reference to the inferior qualities sent from this district, we alluded to the action of the millers as careless work. In making further investigations into the matter we are inclined to alter our opinion, and, instead of careless work, style it dishonest dealing. The term dishonest dealing is a strong one to use, and we are loth to apply .it to colonial manufacturers. But, from information placed at our service, we feel justified in using it to condemn the practice, now unfortunately existing in the flax trade, of acting dishonestly to English and American buyers. The flax trade is now assuming important proportions. The article has been tried an.d proved iu the Old World to ho of great service, and a good demand has sprung up. This demand means a good source of revenue to this Colony in general and to the lucky owners of flax land in particular. The industry finds profitable employment for a large number of bands, and is bringing money into districts hitherto but sparsely populated. There are several townships in this Colony which have for years past been existing on a bare hand-to-mouth living, but now, thanks to the flax tradte, have developed into centres of activity, and hundreds of families have reason to be thankful that New Zealand, flax is obtaining its proper position in the world’s great markets. It is of great benefit to the Colony generally that the flax is not confined to one particular district. Erom one end of the Colony to the other mills are at work, and the advantages of the industry are fairly proportioned among our settlers. The Wellington province is specially favoured with an abundance of flax and water-power. Nature has given us a full share of her benefits, and to our disgrace it is to be said that we do not reap such advantages as we ought to by reason of unscrupulous millers. Foreign market reports tell us that Wellington flax, or hemp, as it is commercially termed, brings the lowest price in the market, and for the Bimple reason that dishonest dealing is practised. The quality of the flax grown in this province is equal to that grown an/ * hero else in. New Zealand We have machinery in the provinceeqiial to any in the Colony,and yet we do not obtain the cash returns we should do. A few year.-- ago, when the demand for ourfl-ix »'3" > ■ \ of an ordinary nature, the dill>■ . i o j iu price in Tycoon of too highest and lowest grades was not- more

than £3 per? {{TO, but at the present; time it is as zauch. as £lO. JSow# there is no earthly .reason, from the* universal quality of the native Has and the equality of the machinery used? why this great difference should exist. A miller in the Auckland district, for example, has a flax tract o£ land and the latest improved strippersA miller in the Wellington district has’ exactly similar flax to deal with amt can use very similar machinery, fed yet the first miller can obtain ibe> top price and the latter has to accepts the lowest. There is only one solution to this puzzle, and that i# dishonest dealing. We are assured! that bales of flax from this district: presenting outwardly a most tempting appearance-—like the pottles of strawberries formerly sold in .London, big beauties on the top and miserably small fruit at the bottom —have an inferior interior. Not only is carelessly dressed flax introduced into these bales, but a large percentage of tow, and sometimes green flax, is discovered. As the bales are tightly packed it in not easy to make an investigation until the bale is opened and pulled to pieces by the Home buyers. Then- tb© dishonest dealing is apparent, and Wellington brands get a bad name. Shipper's iu this city have endeavoured to ascertain the contents of suspicious bales, andhayebeen in the habit of drawing forth a couple of hanks in order to inspect the interior. Those millers who indulge iir dishonest dealing bare found this out, and W@ are assured that such people have gone to the trouble to entwine the fair sample hanks forming the outside of the bale with the inferior hanks packed inside, so that it is impossible to withdraw a single hank from the bale for Tnis practice virtually pays “ We intend to be dishonest, and we defy you to interfere.” As in such cases! shippers have no means of detecting dishonestly packed bales, they are placed upon the English or American market simply as “ Wellington flax.” Then when the buyers find out that they have been “ had ” tbev curse hard and condemn the whole of the Wellington article, and only offer the lowest possible rates. Now this is a cruel hardship to those miliersjn the Wellington district who turn out an honest article. Their flax is equal to any produced in thei Colony, but because of ibe existence of dishonest dealers in their midst they are compelled to accept in some cases as much as £lO per ton below its actual value. This difference in price means an immense loss annually to this district. Unfortunately there are no practicable means of dealing with these dishouest millers ini this Colony. Wo can only suggest, as we did in a previous article, to those millers who do turn out the honest article to taka extra precaution in placing upon each bale of their, flax a most distinctive ..trade-mark or brand, and shippers should insist upon this being done. To English and American buyers we offer this advice: Do not buy Wellington flax unless it bears a distinctive brand,V which is verified as being correct by the shippers as indicative of certain mills. We are inclined to believe that this remedy would soon have an effect. It is simply applying the boycott system to dishonest millers. .